And samuel m



(No Model.)

H. STEWART.

STOP-OFI' VALVE FOR GAS.

Patented May 24, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HOMER STEVART, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO VALTER M. LAVRENCE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND SAMUEL M. LAWRENCE, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYL- VANIA; SAID SAMUEL M. LAWRENCE ADMINISTRATOR OF VALTER M.

LAVRENCE, DECEASED.

STOP-OFF VALVE Fon GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,695, dated May 24, 1887.

Application filed May 25, 1886. Serial No. 203,214. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beaver Falls, in the county oi' Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stop-Off Valves for Gas; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to a device for automatically closing the service-pipe leading from a gas-well or a main to the place of consumption-sueh as furnaces, fire-places, and burners-and has for its object the construction of a simple, cheap, and reliable stop-off' valve, which after having been opened positively will be so held as long as the gas is flowing under pressure, and closes automatically when the pressure is reduced below a given point or is entirely cut off.

Gas iowing from wells is subject to great variations in pressure, and it frequently occurs that the gas must be ent oli' from certain mains in a system on account of connections being made or repairs effected. In either instance when the mains become again filled with gas it will flow into apartments where it is to be consumed, and, mingling with theatmosphere, form a higl'ily-explosive mixture or fluid, which will ignite as soon as a flame of any kind is kindled.

Numerous and serious accidents have resnlted from the escape of gas into buildings, due largely to the fact that it is odorless, and therefore its presence cannot be detected by the sense of smell, as is the case with hydrocarbon and other artiticial gas, and also to the fact that no means had been applied to the servicepipe to prevent the gas entering the building without the knowledge of the oecufrom the pipe and remains closed bythe pressnre of the gas operating on the valve when again turned on until positively opened by some person desiring to use the gas, when-it will be held open as long as the pressure con- 5o tinues.

The vinvention will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speeitication, Figure l represents a longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a detail perspective on a reduced scale.

Reference being had to the drawings and the letters marked thereon, A represents the valvecase, made in two sections, B C, properly secured together by bolts a, which pass through lugs b. The upper section, B, has a chamber, c, formed in it, with an inclined top, (l, and an inlet-passage, c, which communicates with a supply-pipe, as shown, and with the chamber in said section. On the rear or horizontal portion, f, of said section B is formed a boss or projection, g, provided with stuffing-box 7i and a gland or nut, z, for packing the rod lo, which passes through said boss, and is provided at its inner end with a head, l, which corresponds with the seat m, formed on the inner surface of said portion fof section B. The outer end o f the rodtis provided with an 'adjustable head, n, between which and the gland or nut i is interposed a helical spring, o, for holding the head Z to its seat and out of contact with the valve while the gas is flowing through the scrvicepipe.

The lower section,C, is provided with a depression, p, into which a pipesection, q, projects and forms an adjustable valve-seat at its upper end, r, for the valve D to rest upon, and at its rear end is formed a pocket or chamber, s, to receive the counterpoise of the valve. The valve D is provided with apacking, t, of any suitable material, which is sesured thereto by a bolt, w, and nut n; or the valve may be made of a suitable metal to form a tightjoint with the seat rrwithout the use of 9U packing.

E represents a counterpoise attached to or forming an integral part of the valve, and between the valve and counterpoise is a short neck or bar, w, which rests upon a seat or bearing, w, formed on the section C, and is held against lateral displacement by the projections g/ y. The weight of the valve is slightly inexcess of the counter-poise E, so that it will close as soon as the pressure of the gas is cut off in the pipe leading to the valve-case, the counterpoise serving. to balance the valve when it is in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and the pressure of the gas is holding it away from its seat. By applying the counterpoise to the valve and suspending it upon the narrow seat or bearing zr,it becomes exceedingly sensitive and will yield readily to any variations of the pressure in the pipes. Furthermore, by the construction shown, the friction of the working parts ofthe Y be located.

valve is reduced to the minimum and no lubricant is required to keep the parts in good working order.

rIhe upper surface of the section C is provided with a ledge or seat, c', upon which the projection b of the upper section, B, of the valve-case rests, with a gasketfc, of suitable material, interposed between them.

The several parts of my device having been constructed substantially as described, the operation is as follows: When it is desired to turn on the gas, the rod k isdepressed and the valve D raised from its seat t into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,when the counterpoise E will balance the weight of the valve, and the pressure of the incoming gas, which enters the chamber c in the upper section,B,and impinges against the face of the valve, will hold it in said raised position as long as the gas is iiowing through the pipe leading to the valvecase. The rod 7c is returned to its normal position and the head Z forced up to its seat m by the resiliency ofthe spring 0, thus preventing any leak of gas. When from any cause the pressure in the pipes is greatly reduced, or the gas entirely cut off, the valve D will fall to its seat automatically, and when the gas is again turned on in the main, or the pressure increases from the well, the gas entering the chamber c above the valve will hold the latter securely to its seat until opened positively by the depression of the rod la, when the gaswill iiow to the place of consumption, as hereinbefore described.

It will be observed that the counterpoised valve D is arranged in the path of the incoming gas, is subject to the force of its current to keep it open, and will not therefore close and cut off the supply entirely unless there be an appreciable diminution in the pressure of the gas, such as would extinguish the iiame at the burners wherever they may In other constructions the valve is suspended in a chamber and entirely surrounded by gas in some instances and in others all but its upper surface is exposed. In either instance as soon as the pressure falls the gravity of the unbalanced valve causes it toseat, much to the annoyance of the consumers.

In the constructions above referred to an effort has been made to utilize the pressure of the gas to keep the valve open; but it has been attended with very little success, for the reason that the valves are not balanced and the weight of the valves causes them to gravitate to their seats as soon as the pressure becomes too light to sustain their weight. In several of these constructions the pressure of the gas is applied to hold the valve to its seat until it is raised by some positive means; but in no construction known to me is the current of the gas conducted directly against the face of the valve and utilized to hold it open and the pressure of the gas applied to keep it closed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is-- l. A device for automatically cutting ot'f the iiow of gas, which consists of avalve-case having an ingress and'egress opening at right angles to each other, and a counterpoised valve having a seat upon the egress-opening and arlranged so that the pressure of the gas will hold said valve to its seat when closed and the incoming gas impinge directly against the face ofthe valve when open and hold it in said position while the gas continues to flow, in combination with a rod for positively opening the valve, substantially as described.

2. A device for'automatically cutting 0E the flow of gas, which consists of a valvecase having an ingress and egress opening at right angles to each other, a valve-seat in the plane of the egress opening, a detached countern poised valve, and a rod for positively opening the valve, the ingress-opening being in a plane above the valve-seat, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A valvecase made in two sections, one of which is provided with an ingress-opening and an angular chamber or upper inclined wall, the other with a valveseat and a pocket for a counterpoise, in combination with avalve having a counterpoise attached thereto and a rod for positively opening the valve,.substan Vtially as described.

4. A valve-case made in two sections, in combination with a horizontally-counterpoised valve suspended between the valve and the counter-poise, and a rod suspended above the counterpoise for positively opening the valve, substantially as describedg 5. A valve-case having ingressopening e and egressopening q at right angles to each other, in combination with the horizontallycounterpoised valve D, seated over the egressopening, and springactuated rod 7c, substantially as described.

6. A valve-case made in two sections, B C, provided with ingress and egress openings,- a horizontally-suspended valve, D, having counterpoise E, a neck between the valve and the counterpoise, a bearing in the lowersection rco of the case for said neck7 and a rod for posiing counterpoise E, and rod 7s, having head Z,

tively opening 111e valve7 subsiantially as deand seat m, substantially as described. 10 scribed. In testimony whereof I afx my signature in 7. A valve-cese made in two sections, one presence of two witnesses. i of which is provided with a chamber, c, hav- HOMER STEWART. ing inclined wall d and ingress-opening e, the fitnesses other with depression p, egress-pipe q, and DAVID MCCLURG, pocket s, in combination with valve D, hov- J. F. MILLER. 

